City of Widows by Nadia Hashimi

 

Hello my lovely readers! This was an anticipated read for me, so I'm glad I finally got my hands on this! Let's get into it.

SYNOPSIS

In February 2020 the US began to withdraw troops from Afghanistan after nearly twenty years of occupation. A whole generation of Afghan women had been born during that time—women who had grown up in relative peace, gone to school, entered the professions, even served in the army and Parliament. The women of Afghanistan watched as the Taliban filled the streets again. They knew everything was about to change.

In the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Kabul, women are TV newscasters, shop owners, doctors, teachers, lawyers, even soldiers. They include Marjan, who fought with the Afghan army, and will risk everything to keep her daughter Hawa safe. In her earlier days Marjan was called Rahima and had lived the life of a bacha posh—a girl raised as a boy until she came of age. Forced into an early marriage, Rahima took the name Marjan when she fled her warlord husband. She’s created a whole new life for herself, one she will not give up easily.

So has Soraya, who defiantly wore red lipstick as she led the army’s all-female combat force over the objections of her upper-class family. Soraya’s now a wanted woman whose brother may choose not to shelter her from the Taliban. What will become of her? Or Mina, a journalist and broadcaster whose beautiful face is known to everyone in Kabul—including the new regime?

Fight or flight? Or find a third way? One thing is for certain: none of these women will meekly accept her fate.

MY THOUGHTS

My heart goes out to the women in this book and Afghan women in general. 

I like to read my books physically or digitally and with its audio component (if it's available). However, with this novel, I found myself distracted when trying to listen to the audiobook, so I read it more and found myself way more interested in it!

Women in general...we are amazing creatures for everything we've had to deal with in our lifetime. But women in a war torn country, a country suffering from political and civil unrest, THOSE women are a different beast. They have my utmost respect. The bravery showed by the women in this book and the fact that there was still hope in the end...ugh! They'll stay with me forever.